In 2011 402 people died after being shot, with firearms murders accounting for 83 per cent of all murders in the southern state. The also showed that 99 per cent of assaults involved firearms.

Supt. Pat Cooper, of Lafayette Parish School System , who supports gun ownership, felt that schools could come up with a “more appropriate way to raise money.”

Louisiana resident Jared Breaux, commenting on Facebook, said: “How is this a bad idea...most people around here hunt. It's not like they were gonna raffle off AK47's!”

One Comeaux high school family, speaking to KATC News, said they had spent more than $350 towards the gun raffle because they wanted to support the school. They were concerned about students who had invested time in the initiative.